#StarTumu

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Been thinking about teenAtumu growing up in his shitty foster situation, where he usually eats an average of once every 1-3 days, situation dependent.

The only money he gets are when his foster dad gives him some cash to buy basic household shit and sometimes groceries to cook for the family.

A lot of times his foster parents will order food, so Atumu gets to use the groceries for himself. He can usually make the food last about a week if he eats once a day. But sometimes the parents expect food to be ready at home, which cuts into how many meals Atumu has for himself, so it has happened that he hasn't eaten for 2-3 days. It's not every week, but it's not too rare. He averages perhaps 5 meals a week.

When he is finally enrolled into public school at age 16/17, he realizes there is a dedicated time when everyone eats. He doesn't usually have the $2.50 for daily school lunches, but he can sometimes pack his precooked lunches.

At some point, Startop notices a day when he doesn't have a lunch, and Atumu lies (poorly) that he already ate. Startop shares his lunch with Atumu, but Atumu is fairly reluctant because he knows he can't afford to pay Star back.

It has happened several times that Startop packs an extra lunch for Atumu when he notices it's a frequent occurence that Atumu doesn't have food. Atumu is clearly starving, but keeps insisting against taking the food because all he can think of is how he can't afford to be indebted when he can't pay it off. Star lives in a communal housing with his sister and her many kids and roommates, so there's always food in the house. He doesn't manage his own finances, so he doesn't understand Atumu's panic.

Atumu did try to pay Star back at some point - with cash, which Startop thought was ridiculous. Then with a home cooked meal (at the expense, of course, of Atumu eating), which Star enjoyed but didn't understand. But Atumu knew he couldn't keep accepting Star's food because he couldn't maintain paying him back. Star really never understood this idea of "paying back" - he never expected it and he never asked for it. He tried insisting against it.

Finally, they found a good compromise with Star inviting Atumu back home with him. Startop would feed him dinner, and Atumu would help tutor him and help him finish his homework. This hardly felt fair for Atumu, since schoolwork is an absolute joy for him, and it felt like an uneven trade, but Startop was able to convince him. No one had spent the time to help explain the concepts at a pace and in a way that Startop could understand, like Atumu did.

Plus, Atumu spending after school evenings with Startop meant less time with his abusive parents, which would be both a good thing and a bad thing.

At some point, Star wanted to come over Atumu's house just to see how Atumu lives, and it's a huge point of stress for Atumu. He doesn't live in a great condition and he knows his foster parents, rarely sober, can be very unpredictable. The house is hardly fit for guests.

...that's a story for another time I guess

[muerteleche]

TEEN STARTUMU!! star answering this time!!

🤗Are they physically affectionate?  

Very much so, but only ever in private or any place that no one is looking, esp since he’s super in the closet. But it’s only with someone hes super emotionally close to. So because he’s not super close to his older sister, he’ll only occasionally hug her. 

🎶Do they have a type? 

Star’s type is any guy that’s nice and shows general interest in him hah hes a lonely horny teenage boy who is hella in the closet so any positive male attention, he’s gonna be crushin hard

😡What are their deal breakers? 

Being a fuckin asshole pretty much. He likes nice people. Also anyone who would treat him like shit outside of the bedroom hah

↕️Are they sub, dom or switch? 

he’s hella a sub at heart, loves handling all that SnM and giving someone full control. but at the same time, he initiates ALOT and will sometimes even top from the bottom. And on rare occasion, be the one to top. So maybe a bottom leaning switch? his pref changes a bit when he gets older tho

⏰How long do their relationships tend to last? 

considering he’s never technically been in a relationship before, no idea. But he’s the type thats more long term than anything else

💍Would they ever get married? 

I could see it happening, when he’s older of course. And he would likely be the one to pose the question too, just because he likes that level or commitment? not that he fully understand what it is to be married, but he likes the idea and what it symbolizes between two people

🏷️Do they give their partners cute nicknames? 

unintentionally? maybe not cutesy nicknames, but shorter versions of someones name. Like for Atumu, just calls him Tumu. For his sister Estella, just calls her Stella. Terrible examples since that only drops one letter, but you get the jist.

💋Are they more sensual or sexual? 

Hmm, idk he's pretty equal with both? Not that he's a sexual person or could be considered sexual but he enjoys sex but he also enjoys touching and closeness

📖What is their favorite outside of the bedroom activity to do with their partner?

  hah pretty much just dick around and spend time together, finding cool places to go n shit to look at, movies to watch

🛏What is their favorite bedroom activity to do with their partner? 

Pfff I mean sex...? But aside from sex, cuddling hella

💚Are they prone to jealousy? 

I think if he saw his partner w anyone he deemed as a threat yeah. This kid is hella insecure and honestly doesn't see much value in himself so ofc everyone else is gonna be better by comparison

😘Does their demeanor change when in a relationship?  

Mm, he becomes softer and kinder and more tender, but only at times. His patience extends a lot further for sure and he gets less angry w violent outbursts

👫Do they display affection in public? What about in private? 

Answered previous, no to affection in public. Unless they're like, out of state where no one really knows them? And the absolute more affectionate in private

💕Are they open to threesomes or a polyamorous relationship? 

Ah I think he might enjoy it in theory, but he's a selfish, insecure person that would get really jealous if a third person was all over his partner.

💔Do they have a certain type of person they will not enter into a relationship with? 

Hah eh girls because the kid is gay af. Also doesn't like significantly younger guys.

💝How long until they feel secure and comfortable in a relationship? 

Maybe a couple weeks tbh. He can get attatched to people p quick and if he's spent enough time w them

🤐Would they ever confess their feelings first? 

Oh ho ho yeah he does it early on too

❌Would they ever cheat on their partner? 

Mmmmmmm not sex exactly, but kissing to make their partner jealous or out of spite, maybe. But sex, no.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦Do they want children? 

No. He saw his sister raising kids and yeah he loves his nephews and nieces, but it's nice when you can hand the kid back at the end of the day, yknow?

🐶Are they a cuddler?

Answered but heck yeah he is, the cuddliest when given the chance

🔮Do they believe in soul mates? 

No, of course not

⚔️ Are they protective of their partner? 

He tries his best but I think it's good for him that his partner can also handle their own too

🚀 How far are they willing to go for the person they love? 

Pretty fuckin far. He did a lot behind his dad's back and to his face for someone he loved, which says a lot for Star.

❤️ Do they fall in love easily? 

Not in love easily, no. Develops a heavy crush pretty hard n quick? Yeah

📺 Do they share information about their relationships freely with friends and family? 

Hell no. His dad is judgemental controlling as and his sister is nosy as fuck and then funny assuming this kid has friends.

♦️Are they concerned with the social status of their partner? 

Hah fuck no who cares about that tbh

💭 Do they tend to sleep better when in bed with their partner? 

Hm, he's a heavy sleeper regardless, but I think touching someone in his sleep would help him sleep more peacefully

[ofriversandstars]

[necromilk]

One time I was flipping thru my sketchbook and saw some teen!StarTumu doodles I did and my coworker asked if it was Klance and...

I felt my soul leave my body

[bucketofchum]

since I was in a touch-up mood and I am sort of overcoming my own internal traumas, I have decided to finally do the little edits to []'s drawings they did of our OCs in Teen AU. My changes are really small and subtle, so I can't claim this art at all.

I just did this for me because I am really particular about Atumu and there are some things that just make him really...him. So I did this just for me so I can see my boy when look at these.

the idea behind the last one still kind of makes me laugh. They'd have a cute couple shirt going through Disneyland, but since Star is really self conscious, he'd insist on wearing the Mr but it just makes the whole situation seem worse. Atumu is fine wearing anything Star asks him to.

boys being boys

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Local high school outcast tries kissing another boy in front of his crush to make him jealous. Plan backfires. (more story under cut)

Atumu gets transferred to Startop's high school following an incident that led to Social Services forcing Atumu's foster dad to enroll him into public school.

Startop knows Atumu is being abused at home (it's not hard to pick up the signs and Atumu is a really terrible liar), which leads him to want to protect and care for Atumu. The two have basically been inseparable since Atumu arrived, and Star quickly develops a crush on his best friend.

At this point, they have kissed before, but Atumu, not really understanding the concept of a kiss, understands it to be something Star does will all his friends. (which is kind of not untrue if Atumu is his only friend).

Star wanted to see if he could make Atumu jealous, so he devises a plan where he kisses this random boy (okay to be fair, he does have some friends) in front of Atumu, because he wants Atumu to be possessive over him. But it high key backfires (or works too well) and Atumu gets into his own head about it. Atumu thinks he's stupid and ridiculous to have thought he meant anything special to Star - why would he? Star is so cool so of course he'd have lots of friends (he doesn't). Atumu spends the next few days not necessarily avoiding Startop but not seeking him out either (they usually meet between every class, at lunch, and after school every day). So not seeing each other for a whole week is...a lot.

Star is pretty miserable and SO lonely and when he sees Atumu, he's a little pissed tbh. Atumu has also been pretty miserable and lonely but he's talked himself into that this is for the better and he doesn't know - maybe Star does have a lot of friends and he cycles through the friends? Like the past several weeks or months he had been spending a lot of time with Atumu (i.e. every waking hour), but maybe?? this time it's for Star's other friends?? he doesn't know. But he wants to be respectful and allow Star to have his fun with his other friends. Atumu doesn't really know how friendship works - he's never had friends before.

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Part 1 - Tumu in a Box

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I'm having thoughts about the memory loss moment again in StarTumu AU

Don't wanna get too into it here but just some context

This is after Atumu came back from his 2 missing years, and he seemed to be recovering well, physically and mentally. He really pushed himself to start working again while barely recovered bc he saw their financial situation wasn't great, and felt guilty about it bc he had been gone for all this time and now, in convalescence, he was just useless.

In getting back to work and being back up and about, he runs into a familiar face. An older woman who used to be his boss (when he was like 15) and used to take advantage of him, and he immediately mentally regresses. The woman is still pleased that even 10 years later she still has this power over him and even though he's older, he doesn't seem to have changed at all.

She starts a secret relationship-like thing with him, mostly revelling in that he actually still listens to her. At this point, Atumu and Star are married (Star married Atumu very quickly once Atumu regained consciousness after his coma so that was a whole thing as well), and the woman relishes in the fact that Atumu would obey her even though he's together with Startop now

Anyhow, this secret illicit relationship causes Atumu to mentally regress so much that Star thinks Atumu is relapsing due to the 2-year-missing traumas - doesn't realise it's from something that is currently actively happening rn

It escalates to a point where Atumu is almost completely dissociated in his every day life that he's entirely mentally not present and just his body is going through the motions of life.

Star tries to get him professional psychiatric help - this ends up getting him hospitalized and it doesn't seem to be better. He's allowed to visit once a week but Atumu's lack of recognition is fucking heart breaking. They have him on some combination of sedatives that leaves him very zombie-like. Brain empty, no thoughts.

But at least these weeks outside of any interactions with Carol (the woman) allows his brain to do what it does best: repress traumas. The sedatives they give him at the ward leave him zombie-like, but they give him some stimulants when Star visits to he can be not-zombie-like.

It's really really really heartbreaking for Star at first seeing Atumu in this ward with other patients who are geriatric and experiencing dementia. Atumu doesn't even recognize Star. This was the whole "Who are you?" Thing that absolutely wrecked Star.

In tears, Star tries talking to Atumu. "Do you know who I am? My name is Startop.... Antoinette...do you know who you are? You're Atumu.... Antoinette... Do you know why we have the same last name? We are married..." It's really heartbreaking

Then the stimulants finally kick in but it's a terrifying thing for Star cuz he just sees Atumu kind of convulsing in full body spasms. He's contemplating getting the hospital staff to help but eventually Atumu comes to and he seems almost like himself for the first time in....idk months? He had had maybe 2-3 days of clarity in the past 4 months or so. He sees Startop - there is recognition in his eyes, and he asks "Startop?"

In this moment of clarity, Atumu asks where they are. A hospital... Atumu's first reaction is concern. Is Startop alright? Star explains to Atumu that they aren't here for Star...they are here for Atumu.

I don't recall exactly how their conversation went, but eventually Atumu recalls Carol and his brain has a really hard time processing this bc the only way he's able to function is if his brain represses those memories, but in this moment, he is forced to recall them. It doesn't go so well and he starts to relapse again and the hospital staff intervene to sedate him again and there goes Star's husband as he knew him. :(

This is another moment that never gets a neat resolution...

Oi I ended up getting too deep into it. Didn't intend to do that

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A thing that I just randomly thought of that hurts my heart

Foster Bros AU, the family goes to a public pool for fun family times (the boys are maybe about 12 years old). The parents warn Startop beforehand that Atumu has some scars on his body and they won't want him to feel bad because of them. (Atumu doesn't know he has them tbf.) Star quickly goes from hoohee I get to see his nip nops 👀💦 to like 😥😠 upset that anyone would make Atumu feel bad about his bro's body.

Atumu is the only brown boy in the neighbourhood anyway, so he stands out regardless of his scarred up back.

They end up getting invited to play chicken by some other boys in the pool, and there is some vicious mockery. (Star is not a good swimmer and Atumu is always like 10 steps behind when it comes to social interactions). "Can your monkey follow the rules?" This infuriates Star but Atumu doesn't catch on.

In addition to cruel and racist jabs, the other boys also play dirty (i.e. "accidentally" kicking Atumu in the face or punching his ribs to try to make him drop Star). Star's pretty angry about the whole thing and wants these boys to die. Atumu doesn't catch on that anything is wrong because he doesn't know how the game is supposed to be played in the first place. He also doesn't catch their racist remarks about him.

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More Atumu shit that no one asked for.

I found some old shit from Same Age AU (also called Teen AU, but they end up growing up and becoming not teens anymore) during Atumu's "Lost Years" - 2 years during which he disappears inexplicably and Startop has no trace of him.

Well it's a bit before his Lost Years, when he is still on the map, and still exists to the government.

Context: Star and Atumu are about 24-25 years old at this point and they are living together. Atumu is working for the Federal Government. Star is trying to figure out what he wants to do (community college). Atumu has been working for the government for about a year at this point. He was recruited from his previous job. Star doesn't really know what he does but he spends less and less time at home. Sometimes multiple days. Sometimes multiple weeks. This one mission is supposed to be multiple months.

Money means nothing to someone like Atumu. He grew up so fucking dirt poor that having ANY disposable income means all his needs are met. He doesn't need more than what is necessary for survival. Money means nothing to him, but Startop means everything to him.

His handlers realised this rather quickly. Promise of good pay was not a good motivator. He'd do the work anyway without complaint. He'd do the work because they told him the pay would be good to help Star out financially. Star could live comfortably and safely with Atumu's service. He'd be working to help Star. Atumu never asked questions. He did everything he was told, because they told him they'd take care of Star. They told him Star was happy. That was the only thing that mattered to Atumu.

But he wished he could see Star. He missed Startop, the boy who befriended him in high school and who helped him move out of his abusive foster home. He owed Star everything. He missed Startop, but ...as long as Star was happy...

Startop missed Atumu but figured Atumu's work was important, so he tried not to get in the way. But despite now living together, he had never seen Atumu so little. Atumu was never home anymore. Still, the paychecks came in, the bills and the rent were paid so... I guess. Star didn't want money. He only wanted Atumu. Atumu couldn't care about the money. He just wanted Star safe and happy.

Anyhow that's the context. Atumu is working for the government. Overworked, on way too many simultaneous projects, and literally has not been home in months.

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Teen AU

In his foster home, his room is bare. He sleeps on a military cot that fit him when he was 11, but no longer fits his elongated 17-year old body.

The only things in his room are a single towel which doubles as a blanket, in addition to a couple of hand-me-down clothes that are simultaneously too big and too small for his disproportionate body, and his most prized possessions which he keeps underneath the cot, in secret. They are books. Old high school or university textbooks, some from decades ago. He has read them all cover to cover. Molecular toxicology, epigenomics, particle physics. It doesn't matter - he's just happy to have them. These are his treasures. He loves learning and loves knowing what people have found in the world. He loves learning, questioning. There is so much about the world he doesn't know.

At some point, Startop invites himself to Atumu's house, and it's really scary for Atumu to host his classmate. The house smells like stale beer and cigarettes (no bother for the rebellious 17-year old Star, who already drinks and smokes), and the carpets and sofas are all stained and yellow, despite Atumu's efforts to clean.

The cot is embarrassing to show Star, and even more embarrassing that it is all he has to offer his classmate. It's squeaky, hard, and cold. He knows Star is from a good family. His father is...one could say aristocratic. He knows Startop has a bed at home, and a comfortable one at that. Multiple pillows. Covers. Blankets. Atumu has none of that to offer. He only has the cot, the towel, and... that's it. He can ball up some clothes to act as a pillow, if Star needs. He'll sleep on the floor, so Star can take the cot.

The two boys lay in silence, both uncomfortable, physically and emotionally. Atumu wraps his arms around his body and curls up on the ground. He really wishes he had more to offer his classmate - Startop has been more than generous to him in the past, and this is no way to show gratitude. But this is all he has to offer. They lay in silence some more. The ground is hard. It is cold.

"Are you still up?" Star's small voice breaks the silence in the darkness.

"Yeah."

Silence.

"Do you...need anything?" Atumu figured he'd ask even if he had nothing more to offer.

"Do you want to come up here?"

"No it's okay--"

"I'm cold..."

"Sorry I don't -- I can...get my jacket..." Atumu gets up to look for extra layers to give to Star. He finds his jacket hanging on the back of his chair. "Here--" he drapes it over the smaller boy's body. He sits back down on the ground, beside the cot.

Startop props himself up on one elbow, looking down. "Atumu...come up here. I wanna...I wanna give you something."

Atumu's heart drops for a second. He can't take anything else from Star. Startop had provided food for him every day this past week. There is no way he could pay it all back. He'd rather not eat than owe his only friend a debt he couldn't repay...

"I've...I've taken enough from you, Startop."

"No, this is something different. Come up here."

Curious, Atumu crawls onto the cot with Startop. It's a tight squeeze. The small cot was barely large enough for Star's tiny frame by himself. Atumu's long limbs hang off the side of the cot.

Star tugs Atumu down and rolls on top of his chest. He brings his face close to his classmate's. Atumu can feel Startop's breath on his face.

The smaller boy licks his chapped lips and presses them into Atumu's. He closes his eyes as he melts into the brown boy's soft warm lips.

A kiss...

Atumu blinks in surprise. What is this...what is Startop doing...?

"What was that?" He asks, when Startop finally breaks away.

"What?" Star's heart drops to the pit of his stomach. "Did you not like it?" he asks meekly.

"I shouldn't... I shouldn't take anything else from you--" Atumu mutters, rolling over to get off the cot. What was that...?

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The most heartbreaking trope is "Who are you?"

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After a week of heart breaking internal toiling, i finally decided to tackle a tiny little task.

Here's a little storyboard doodle that I did of the beginning of a tiny AU (it was the smallest and least overwhelming) from 2-3 years ago.

I kinda just wanted to do SOMETHING even if it wasn't the story i wanted to tell, just cuz this is torturing me inside and i gotta express it. Had to go through like 5 layers of guilt and grief about it.

[bucketofchum]

okay okay, what is like... The Main Canon. the primary timeline. for Atumu? or if you don't have that, the one you explore the most often?

Oof well there was The Main Canon™ that was the longest standing on (a story that spans decades of irl time, so literal millennia of in story time, and it's...there is just too much. Atumu wasn't even a main character lmao. I have things saved under the tag Life Story™ for that. It's long long long long loong story.

That's all before I met [] with whom we made a bunch of AUs for our characters to interact because we wanted to. All those stories are now the main canon because I can't experience Atumu any other way now hah, which is kind of sad that his entire being is dedicated to a person(s) who ...has chosen to no longer be in my life.

That's why it's kind of hard for me to share the stories now (in anything but me ranting in tags) bc it almost feels disrespectful. Like half of the story is not mine to tell. And yet, it's...half of it *is* mine to tell. Anyhow.

The Main Canons:

StarTumu Teen AU - Atumu (17) meets Startop (17) in a hospital (Atumu got into a domestic violence related car accident and Startop was there for a suicide attempt). This one spans til they are nearly 30.

StarTumu Foster AU - Atumu (11) and Startop (10.5/11) meet and grow up as foster brothers. This one spans until they are in their early 20s (22-23?).

KingTumu - This starts in ANNNCIENT times (idk maybe like 800 AD or so). Atumu (like 3000 years old by now? no idea; physically appears about 27-30) is a slave and bought by a gorgon King (idk how old King is sorry at least a couple hundred years probably) who is on a Mission™ to try to save the gorgon population from human extermination. Atumu is King's travel companion through the centuries. This one spans until like 1800 AD or so.

Those are the main ones that I'll allude to bc those are the ones that have my heart in a headlock. And if I make art of things, they are likely from those 3 universes.

In the Real Primary Canon...

4. Life Story - The story mostly follows brothers Atemu, Atumu, and Yumi through wild shenanigans in life. Imagine Dr Who/Supernatural but on steroids. They're just...going through life and trying to LIVE and shit happens cuz... well just cuz things happen as the brothers are weird demi-god creatures who are essentially unaware of their pasts (they never become aware). There are interactions with other deities and multiple international governments trying to understand these boys. Yumi just wants to like...settle down and live a normal ass life. Atemu is too daft to form complex thought. Atumu has no purpose in life but to be loyal to his little brother Atemu.

anything I allude to regarding Atumu's siblings are from Life Story. The siblings are also complicated. In the StarTumu AUs, Atumu is also not aware he has siblings because he basically has no memory before age 8 (thanks suppression of traumatic memories!). Even in the beginning of Life Story (many lifetimes ago), basically none of the siblings are aware each other exist. They haven't known of each other's existence for thousands of years. They all believe themselves to be human (don't ask).

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I had to redraw this convo with my super fucking clueless 6′7 asexual boy Atumu, featuring @necromilk​‘s OC Startop

[bucketofchum]

boys being boys (x) 

collab with @necromilk